Fahal Island (Shark Island)

A rocky island (about 77 m high, with a navigation beacon) some 4 km off Muscat's Qurum coast, nicknamed Shark Island. Dive sites ring the island, from shallow coral gardens with eagle rays and turtles to a soft-coral wall, an L-shaped cavern/swim-through and a tug and barge near 30 m, with deeper reefs at 40 m and below. Blacktip, whitetip, grey reef and lemon sharks, eagle and mobula rays, barracuda and jacks are reported; whale sharks are possible in season. Divernet counts 11 dive sites here; the individual site names are not in the sources used.

Facts

Region: Muscat & Daymaniyat Islands – Oman
Area: Fahal Island (Shark Island)
Depth: 5–40 m
Level: intermediate
Current: moderate
Type: reef, wall, cave, wreck, drift
Coordinates: 23.686, 58.5 (approximate)
Highlights: reef shark, blacktip reef shark, whitetip reef shark, lemon shark, eagle ray, stingray, mobula, barracuda, jacks, tuna, soft coral, turtle, whale shark
Unverified: The exact dive-site positions around the island are not published; the marker is a single approximate point near the island.
Tips: Currents and walls: intermediate divers and up for the deeper parts. The marker is the BirdLife island centre moved slightly north-east to the water; the individual sites are scattered around the island.

Fahal Island (Shark Island)

Facts

Sources